Building a home

[Asher]

No. I highly doubt that.

I'm not playing this game with you again, Alby. You'll have to take my word on it.

[giblets]

Realistically, a single person can live comfortably on $10K/year. Anything else is superfluous.

Rising about the federal poverty line is superfluous?

[giblets]

No. I highly doubt that.

Only because you are literally a giant dick.

[Asher]

He thinks he's big because he keeps comparing himself to other overcompensating members who sign up to play Soldier and join the marines...

[Boris Godunov]

Oh god forbid anyone has to walk up a flight of stairs to use the bathroom.

Absolutely not if you entertain guests a lot. Guests should not have to enter the family bedroom area. And what if they have guests who can't use stairs?

3 bathrooms (Actually, I'm guess it's 2.5) for 2 people in a 3-bedroom house is perfectly reasonable. The master bath, an extra upstairs for either overnight guests or if one of the 2 residents needs to use the bathroom at the same time as the other (assuming the toilet in the master bath isn't sequestered), and a 1/2 bath downstairs for guests while entertaining.

My friends Adam and Jeremy have a a 4-bedroom house for the two of them with 3.5 baths. They've got the master, and then the 2 upstairs bedrooms are each of their home offices, since they both tend to work from home a lot. The upstairs guest bathroom is their cat's room. On the main level is the 1/2 bath. On the ground floor is their actual guest bedroom and accompanying bathroom, as well as their home theater room (which can seat up to 12 pretty comfortably). None of the space in their house goes to waste.

And $10,000 a year? Considering the average apartment rent in the U.S. is about $1300/month...

[Asher]

As you can see from Boris' friends, obviously the thing to do is be a gay professional.

[Boris Godunov]

As you can see from Boris' friends, obviously the thing to do is be a gay professional.

With each working at a major IT corporation, yes.

[Asher]

My SO has done one better and works for Big Oil. $$$$$$$$$$

[Provost Harrison]

It's not about making big bucks. It's about consumption that only serves as your entry in a dick measuring contest.

Realistically, a single person can live comfortably on $10K/year. Anything else is superfluous.

Well you can't be doing anything with your life...eat and sleep in some hovel. Not really "living" is it. That money wouldn't even cover half of my rent for the year.

[MikeH]

You couldn't live on $10k a year in Reading. Well, only if you squatted on a street in the worst part of town and didn't mind hookers and drug dealers as neighbours. Even then, there aren't that many houses that fall into that category. A 1 room rental in a shared house will be £400 a month, once you add council tax, bills etc. that's your £6,000 gone before you've bought any food, transport to whatever job is paying you below minimum wage...

UK minimum wage, full time works out at $20,232 a year. You could live on that easily as a single person.

[MikeH]

You could survive on $10k... but you couldn't live on it.

[Arrian]

@ the bathrooms discussion.

Best of luck, Asher. I have no experience w/this, as I've always assumed the process would be very stressful for me (and thus not worth the payoff). I found the process of selling our old house to buy our current house very stressful, and that's nothing compared to designing from scratch.

-Arrian

[rah]

I built houses growing up so I probably shouldn't have anyone building a house for me since I would probably drive them crazy.
When my dad had a custom home built, he only lived a few blocks away and would go to the site every morning (he was retired at that point so he had plenty of time) It was amazing how many things he caught before they completed it so he could get it done right/the way he wanted. I'm sure they hated his guts before they finished but the house turned out the way HE wanted it. (it helps if you can read blue prints)

[Flubber]

I'm upside down on my house too so hopefully prices aren't about to go down after Asher buys his house. If you don't plan on moving though then I guess it really doesn't matter what the current market price is.

I don't think there are many houses upside down right now in Calgary-- There may be some bought in the ultra peak before the crash but its hardsly a large proportion. Prices here have been trending upward a bit again IIRC and given with how busy the construction design engineering firms are these days, it is anticipated that another boom is quickly coming which will probably see prices jump again -- I'm already golden with a house worth twice what I paid but if I were Asher I would jump in now before we boom again and while interest rates are still really low (I pay 2.2% right now but that rate does float with the BoC rate)

[Flubber]

Indeed. Also, these are 9' ceilings so there's more stairs than your typical house.


Why would you want to do that? Dude.




Why the **** would we not do it? We could afford to buy much larger, but there's truly no point to that. We're two professionals making good bank with no children or debt. We're getting a 15 year mortgage and will probably pay it off well before then (I went with ING which permits 25% principle each year). And we'll still have lots of money for an early retirement...

The other option is to live in squalor and save millions of dollars in a bank account...for what?

You only live once, man.

People spend a lot of time in their house so get what you want.

I also have those prepayment options but at current interest rates I have instead been increasing my investing. I have been making more than my mortgage interest and it allows me security of having money available to reduce my mortage a lot if rates rise much

Oh and Alby-- I have about 4000 square feet (including the developed basement ) with a living room, two rec rooms, den, 4 bedrooms and 4 baths for 4 people . I like it, want it and can afford it so why shouldn't I have it ??